Belgrade board approves revised ballot language for village‑green parking lot donation, excluding beach‑lot right-of-way

The Belgrade Select Board approved alternate language for Warrant Article 7 that would accept from the Friends of Belgrade Lakes Village the donation of a parking lot (the "Town of Belgrade Village Green parking lot") and a minimum cash donation of $12,500 while explicitly excluding transfer of the right‑of‑way over Lakeshore Drive to lot three (the beach lot).

Town officials told voters that the 2019 transaction that transferred the village green to the town had included quitclaim‑deed language that terminated a prior right‑of‑way and the right to use the beach lot. During the public hearing, the board said it could not take a final vote on wording while the hearing was open but would take the question in the regular session. The board read a proposed alternate paragraph into the record, which states the donation "specifically accept[s] out and not including the rightway over Lakeshore Drive to lot three beach lot," language the board said was drawn in consultation with the town attorney and the Friends of Belgrade Lakes Village.

Several residents pressed the board that the quitclaim deed recorded in 2019 explicitly "terminated the right of way for the above lots" and "the right to the use of said lot three" and asked that same termination language appear in the new deed. Abby Douglas, an owner of property on Lakeshore Drive, said she had a copy of the 2019 deed and "I'd like to see that language because that language is not in what you have right now." Residents asked the board to ensure the deed language mirrors the 2019 quick‑claim deed so the town and neighbors are protected from ambiguous access claims.

Select Board members moved to rescind the article as previously voted and then to adopt the proposed alternate language with additional clarifying clauses requested during the meeting (including a minimum donation amount and an estimate of annual maintenance costs for the facility and lighting). The motions were taken in the regular session after the public hearing; the board recorded the votes to rescind and then to approve the alternate wording (all in favor on recorded counts).

Next steps: the revised wording will be printed on ballots and, if the voters accept the article, the town will complete a quitclaim deed consistent with the vote and the attorney‑approved language.

Notes: The vote on the final deed (the quitclaim) and any deed language finalization occurs after voter acceptance; the legal transfer document should include the termination language if that is the board's and donors' intent.